COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey today announced that 48 players, representing 24 National Hockey League teams, have been invited to the U.S. Men's National Team Orientation Camp from Aug. 26-27, at Kettler Capitals IcePlex in Arlington, Va.

The camp is designed to assist in preparation for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, set for Feb. 7-23, 2014, in Sochi, Russia.

Of the 48 players invited to the camp, 16 have previous Olympic experience, including Dustin Brown (Ithaca, N.Y./Los Angeles Kings), Zach Parise (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnesota Wild) and Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis./Minnesota Wild), three of the alternate captains on the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team that captured the silver medal.

Also highlighting the roster are forward Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y./Chicago Blackhawks) and goaltender Jonathan Quick (Milford, Conn./Los Angeles Kings), the two most recent Conn Smythe Award winners as most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; Phil Kessel (Madison, Wis./Toronto Maple Leafs), who finished second behind Kane among U.S.-born skaters with 20 goals and 52 points during the 2012-13 season; and goaltender Jimmy Howard (Syracuse, N.Y./Detroit Red Wings), who tied for the NHL regular-season lead in shutouts with five.

Nine players on the orientation camp roster played for the bronze-medal winning U.S. Men's National Team at the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Stockholm, Sweden, and Helsinki, Finland, including goaltender John Gibson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Norfolk Admirals); forwards Nick Bjugstad (Minneapolis, Minn./Florida Panthers), Alex Galchenyuk (Milwaukee, Wis./Montreal Canadiens), T.J. Oshie (Warroad, Minn./St. Louis Blues), Craig Smith (Madison, Wis./Nashville Predators) and Paul Stastny (St. Louis, Mo./Colorado Avalanche); and defensemen Justin Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn./Carolina Hurricanes), Erik Johnson (Bloomington, Minn./Colorado Avalanche) and Jacob Trouba (Rochester, Mich./Winnipeg Jets).

The 2014 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team is under the direction of David Poile, general manager, Ray Shero, associate general manager, Brian Burke, director of player personnel, and Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. The orientation camp includes 30 first-round NHL draft picks, including two first-overall selections. Fifteen players invited to the camp have been part of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program. A total of 33 players on the orientation camp roster have played U.S. college hockey. The 2014 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team will be coached by Dan Bylsma. USA Hockey's international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. National Teams.